Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Born in Marshalltown, Iowa, he began to play professionally in the National Association (NA) as an infielder at the age of 19. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his era, he played a record 27 consecutive seasons 1876 to 1897, with the Chicago Cubs franchise, then known as the White Stockings and later the Colts. He led the team to five National League pennants in the 1880s and was the first to tally over 3,000 career hits. He finished his playing career with 3418 hits, 97 homeruns, 2076 runs batted and a .333 batting average. After retiring as a player, he managed the New York Giants and ran several sport enterprises in Chicago. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith)